Classical’s McGuffie transitions to greater emphasis on track

Following up on a standout spring track season in which she went to Nationals in North Carolina, Lynn Classical incoming junior Hulerie McGuffie will increase her focus on running this year.”I accomplished a lot last year that I didn’t even think I could do,” McGuffie said. “I’d like to go to Nationals again and more.”This week, McGuffie will share her knowledge with youngsters interested in track when she helps out with a track and field clinic sponsored by Lynn Parks and Recreation at Manning Field with fellow track athlete Rick Kimber (English). Classical coach Ryan Hathaway and UNH coach Jim Boulanger have also helped out at the clinic, which is free and is for boys and girls ages seven years old and up.This fall, McGuffie was planning on playing soccer, but decided to run cross country instead.”I wanted to stick with track,” she said, adding that quite a few coaches had influenced her decision.She has run both on her own and with clinics this summer, benefiting from several Lynn resources: Manning Field (“It’s always open,” she said) and the YMCA. She runs in the morning; on Mondays and Wednesdays, her days continue as a youth leader with the Part of the Solution program at Girls Inc. One of the projects she is helping out with is a basketball tournament this week at Warren Park.She ran track as a middle-schooler at Pickering, but said she got “really involved” in her freshman year of high school. This past spring, as a sophomore, she placed third in her heat in the 400 in the national track and field championships at Greensboro, NC.”It’s fun,” she said. “It’s a good sport, and I’m good at it.”Asked if she saw herself as more of a speed or a distance runner, she said, “Speed,” but then added, “It depends. The 400 is a mid-distance event, mostly sprinting. I can run it in under a minute.”Her time in the event at Nationals was a 57.76. She ran a 57.4 in the Northeastern Conference meet to qualify.